Tonny Hooijmans, Oké Trading:

"Scandinavian midsummer celebrations stimulate demand for mushrooms"

After a slightly poorer week last week the trade in mushrooms perked up again this week. "The midsummer festivals are on their way in Scandinavia and this always means extra demand. The sales can double," says Tonny Hooijmans of Oké Trading from Velddriel. "Chestnut mushrooms and oyster mushrooms are slightly too abundant on the market at the moment, but the demand for white mushrooms is going well."

"It has been a stable year so far. Of course there are some weeks better than others, but in general the mushroom market has been reasonably balanced this year. In the period after Easter under the end of September the demand is always less, especially for exotic mushrooms. But many growers adapt their cultivation to this, they are 10-20% lower," says Tonny.

"Supermarkets plan few offers with mushrooms at this time, due to the abundance of summer products, but the price remains at a normal level. The export to the United Kingdom continues. The prices are adjusted, but there is plenty of demand. If it gets warm, there is always more demand from the southern countries Spain and Portugal, who can't produce themselves. I expect there to be less supply towards the summer and the market to remain balanced," concludes the trader.